Latest news with #vandalism
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Sycamore Gap vandals who chopped down iconic tree face sentencing
The two men responsible for felling the iconic Sycamore Gap tree, a beloved landmark on Hadrian's Wall, are set to be sentenced this Tuesday at Newcastle Crown Court. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers used a chainsaw to bring down the nearly 150-year-old sycamore in under three minutes, with one recording the act, forever altering the cherished northern England landscape. Convicted in May of two counts of criminal damage each, their fate now rests with the judge. Justice Christina Lambert has warned Graham and Carruthers they could face a "lengthy period in custody," as each count carries a penalty of up to 10 years behind bars. Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told jurors the pair had engaged in a 'moronic mission' to cut down the landmark, travelling for more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria, then carrying their equipment across pitch black moorland during a storm back in September 2023. One of them filmed the act, although precisely who did what, and why, has never been explained, with the prosecution case claiming that each encouraged the other. They took a wedge from the tree as a trophy that has never been recovered and revelled in the media coverage, as news of the vandalism caused national and international headlines. The tree was a symbol of Northumberland, was the site of countless family visits and featured in the Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Its destruction, filmed on a mobile phone, took less than three minutes. The maximum sentence for criminal damage is 10 years and aggravating factors include whether it was done to a heritage or cultural asset and evidence of wider impact on the community. When she remanded the pair, Mrs Justice Lambert said they could face 'a lengthy period in custody'. The defendants were once close, working and socialising together, but have fallen out since their arrests and each has come to blame the other. Graham's Range Rover was picked up on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras between Carlisle and Sycamore Gap at night on September 27 2023, and returning early the next morning. His mobile was traced to phone masts making the same journey. When police arrested the pair and searched Graham's phone, they found a two-minute and 41-second video, which showed the sycamore being cut down at 12.30am on September 28, and had been sent to Carruthers. Messages and voice notes between Graham and Carruthers the next day showed them talking about the story going 'wild' and 'viral'. At trial, Graham claimed Carruthers had a fascination with the sycamore, saying he had described it as 'the most famous tree in the world' and spoken of wanting to cut it down, even keeping a piece of string in his workshop that he had used to measure its circumference. Carruthers denied this and told the court he could not understand the outcry over the story, saying it was 'just a tree'. The tree and wall were owned by the National Trust and a spokesperson said: 'The needless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree shocked people around the country and overseas, demonstrating the powerful connection between people and our natural heritage.'
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Sycamore Gap: Who are the tree fellers and why did they do it?
Who are Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham, the men due to be sentenced later for cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland? And, given they have never admitted causing the destruction that shocked the world, what might have possessed them to do it? Many people who knew the pair spoke to the BBC, but most requested them were neighbours in the quiet street in Carlisle where 39-year-old Daniel Graham grew up. They remember him as an "average kid" before his parents' separation - describing that as an event which "sent him off the rails."His dad Michael took his own life in 2021, something Graham spoke about while giving evidence in court in relation to his struggles with poor mental health. He was estranged from many members of his family, with one saying he would "fly off the handle at anything". For the last decade Graham lived and worked on a patch of land on the outskirts of Kirkandrews-upon-Eden, just outside called it Millbeck Stables and ran his company, DM Graham Groundworks, from the site on a secluded lane, nestled among large country homes. Journalist Kevin Donald described the plot as "a strange little shanty"."It's got a caravan, horses on the land and pillars at the entrance with lions on the top," he said. 'An odd-bod' Graham erected a series of buildings, a stable block, horse shelter and storage unit, gaining planning permission for some of them. He lived on site in a static caravan, largely hidden behind big metal gates which included his Bowron, chairman of the village's Parish Hall Committee, said Graham was "a man of mystery, a bit of an odd-bod"."There were these black gates and then a tall fence all round the site with black plastic sheeting so you couldn't see in, but there were lights on all night."His lorry is still there. You can see in now because all the plastic has come down." A planning application for Graham to be allowed to live on the site was rejected in April 2023, five months before the Sycamore Gap tree was cut had not been paying council tax and among the comments on the application was a claim he had displayed "dominant and oppressive" behaviour. "When news came out he'd been arrested, we weren't surprised," Mr Bowron said."Everyone was saying 'oh yes that strange bloke'."In court, the jury heard that tree felling was part of Graham's business and he owned three or four chainsaws. Adam Carruthers helped him with that work, and the court was told the pair were close friends. Carruthers grew up in Wigton, a market town in Cumbria with a history stretching back to medieval times. His parents still live there and town councillor Chris Scott described it as a place where families put down roots and stay for generations. Scott did not know Carruthers personally, but runs a social media site for the town and remembers a "curious silence" when he was arrested. "People weren't discussing it all, which surprised me because it was such a big story at the time." A childhood friend of Carruthers said he was "a bit of an outcast" but also the last person he would expect to have been involved in the felling of the arrest was "the talk" of their school friendship group."Growing up we were the good kids," the friend said. "We couldn't get our heads around it. You would never ever think he would do something like that."Carruthers went to Nelson Thomlinson School where another fellow pupil described him as a "bit of a loner"."He always kept to himself and in classes he wouldn't talk. Teachers would try and get him to talk, and fail."At the time of his arrest in October 2023, Carruthers had recently become a father for the second time and was living in a caravan with his partner at Kirkbride Airfield. Graham and Carruthers met in 2021 when the latter, who was a mechanic, repaired a Land Rover belonging to Graham's father so it could be used for his funeral. Graham called Carruthers his "best pal" and paid him to help him on jobs, splitting the cash their friendship splintered as the trial unfolded, with Graham blaming Carruthers who, in turn, said he had no idea who did it. In the absence of any declared motive, could interactions between the pair hold clues to what drove them to take a chainsaw to one of the most beloved trees in the UK?After the felling, they exchanged messages talking about the scale of the reporting of the story. In one voicenote, Daniel Graham exclaimed: "It's gone viral, it is worldwide."Newcastle University's Bethany Usher, who specialises in crime journalism, is among those who believe the pair were craving attention. "Social media has completely changed the way we view ourselves, taking video of ourselves doing things is so part of our lived experience," she said. "What became clear from the trial is that they enjoyed the attention they got worldwide."It's like they were saying 'I'm someone, I have got the attention of people', and they forgot that what they were doing was providing evidence for the police."The truth is they knew the tree was special, but they were trying to show they counted more." 'Pleasure in grief' Dr Philip Stone from the University of Lancashire, who studies dark tourism where visitors travel to sites of death, brutality and terror, said the pair may have "enjoyed watching the distress they had caused from such spiteful, wanton ecological vandalism"."To use the German psychology phrase schadenfreude, some people take a pleasure in other's people's misfortune and getting a sense of perverted pleasure from the response from that. "It is as though they are thinking 'Yeh, I'm going to get my 15 minutes of fame, but I'm also going to get pleasure in seeing other people's grief'." Among those hurt by the loss of something both very public and personal was Hayley got engaged at the Sycamore Gap tree and, after her wedding, she and her husband Lee posed for their photographs there."Strong, resilient always there, the tree symbolised what we wanted our marriage to be," she said. The couple had hoped there had been more to the felling than Carruthers and Daniel having "a bit of a laugh" and it "stung" to find out that seemed to be their only motive."They sent messages to each other about someone not having the 'minerals' to do what they did," she said."I'd like to say to them, 'you guys haven't got the minerals to own up to what you did and I hope that sticks with you in prison'." Follow BBC North East on X and Facebook and BBC Cumbria on X and Facebook and both on Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Pair who chopped down Sycamore Gap tree to be sentenced
The two men who felled the tree at Sycamore Gap in what prosecutors called a 'moronic mission' are to be sentenced on Tuesday. Former friends Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted of criminal damage to the much-loved tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in a fold in the landscape. They were also convicted of criminal damage to Hadrian's Wall, caused when the sycamore fell on the ancient monument. Mrs Justice Lambert will sentence the pair, who have been held in custody following their trial in May, at Newcastle Crown Court. Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told jurors the pair had engaged in a 'moronic mission' to cut down the landmark, travelling for more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria, then carrying their equipment across pitch black moorland during a storm back in September 2023. One of them filmed the act, although precisely who did what, and why, has never been explained, with the prosecution case claiming that each encouraged the other. They took a wedge from the tree as a trophy that has never been recovered and revelled in the media coverage, as news of the vandalism caused national and international headlines. The tree was a symbol of Northumberland, was the site of countless family visits and featured in the Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Its destruction, filmed on a mobile phone, took less than three minutes. The maximum sentence for criminal damage is 10 years and aggravating factors include whether it was done to a heritage or cultural asset and evidence of wider impact on the community. When she remanded the pair, Mrs Justice Lambert said they could face 'a lengthy period in custody'. The defendants were once close, working and socialising together, but have fallen out since their arrests and each has come to blame the other. Graham's Range Rover was picked up on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras between Carlisle and Sycamore Gap at night on September 27 2023, and returning early the next morning. His mobile was traced to phone masts making the same journey. When police arrested the pair and searched Graham's phone, they found a two-minute and 41-second video, which showed the sycamore being cut down at 12.30am on September 28, and had been sent to Carruthers. Messages and voice notes between Graham and Carruthers the next day showed them talking about the story going 'wild' and 'viral'. At trial, Graham claimed Carruthers had a fascination with the sycamore, saying he had described it as 'the most famous tree in the world' and spoken of wanting to cut it down, even keeping a piece of string in his workshop that he had used to measure its circumference. Carruthers denied this and told the court he could not understand the outcry over the story, saying it was 'just a tree'. The tree and wall were owned by the National Trust and a spokesperson said: 'The needless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree shocked people around the country and overseas, demonstrating the powerful connection between people and our natural heritage.'
Al Arabiya
6 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Sycamore Gap vandals face their fate in English court for felling beloved tree
With one man holding a phone to record the tree's notorious fall and the other working a chainsaw, a pair of vandals forever altered the landscape of a beloved section of Hadrian's Wall in northern England. In less than three minutes, the beloved Sycamore Gap tree that had stood nearly 150 years crashed to the ground. The fate of the men convicted of the senseless act now lies in the hands of a judge who will sentence them Tuesday in Newcastle Crown Court. Justice Christina Lambert warned Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers that they could face a lengthy period in custody following their convictions in May of two counts each of criminal damage. Each count carries a penalty of up to 10 years behind bars. The illegal felling in Northumberland National Park on Sept. 28, 2023, caused instant outrage, and news quickly spread beyond the ancient wall built by Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122 to protect the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire. It was not Britain's biggest or oldest tree, but it was prized for its picturesque setting, symmetrically planted between two hills along the wall that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tree had long been known to locals but became famous after a cameo in Kevin Costner's 1991 film, 'Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.' It drew tourists, lovers, landscape photographers, and even those who spread the ashes of loved ones. It was voted English Tree of the Year in 2016. Graham, 39, and Carruthers, 32, once close friends who had a falling out since their arrests, denied taking part in the act, claiming they were each at their homes that night. But evidence shown to the jury implicated both men. Graham's Range Rover was near the tree around the time it fell. Grainy video of the felling was found on his phone – with metadata showing that it was shot at the location of the tree. As digital data showed Graham's vehicle on its way back to where the two lived about 40 minutes away, Carruthers got a text from his girlfriend with footage of their 12-day-old son. 'I've got a better video than that,' Carruthers replied. The jury didn't hear evidence of a motive for the crime, but prosecutor Richard Wright suggested in his closing argument that the two had been on a 'moronic mission' and cut down the tree as a joke. 'They woke up the morning after and… it must have dawned on them that they couldn't see anyone else smiling,' Wright said.
Washington Post
7 hours ago
- Washington Post
Sycamore Gap vandals face their fate in English court for felling beloved tree
LONDON — With one man holding a phone to record the tree's notorious fall and the other working a chainsaw, a pair of vandals forever altered the landscape of a beloved section of Hadrian's Wall in northern England. In less than three minutes, the beloved Sycamore Gap tree that had stood nearly 150 years crashed to the ground. The fate of the men convicted of the senseless act now lies in the hands of a judge who will sentence them Tuesday in Newcastle Crown Court. Justice Christina Lambert warned Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers that they could face a 'lengthy period in custody,' following their convictions in May of two counts each of criminal damage. Each count carries a penalty of up to 10 years behind bars. The illegal felling in Northumberland National Park on Sept. 28, 2023, caused instant outrage and news quickly spread beyond the ancient wall built by Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122 to protect the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire. It wasn't Britain's biggest or oldest tree, but it was prized for its picturesque setting, symmetrically planted between two hills along the wall that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tree had long been known to locals but became famous after a cameo in Kevin Costner's 1991 film 'Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.' It drew tourists, lovers, landscape photographers and even those who spread the ashes of loved ones. It was voted English 'Tree of the Year' in 2016. Graham, 39, and Carruthers, 32, once close friends who had a falling out since their arrests, denied taking part in the act, claiming they were each at their homes that night. But evidence shown to the jury implicated both men. Graham's Range Rover was near the tree around the time it fell. Grainy video of the felling was found on his phone — with metadata showing that it was shot at the location of the tree. As digital data showed Graham's vehicle on its way back to where the two lived about 40 minutes away, Carruthers got a text from his girlfriend with footage of their 12-day-old son. 'I've got a better video than that,' Carruthers replied. The jury didn't hear evidence of a motive for the crime, but prosecutor Richard Wright suggested in his closing argument that the two had been on a 'moronic mission' and cut down the tree as a joke. 'They woke up the morning after and ... it must have dawned on them that they couldn't see anyone else smiling,' Wright said.
